Kostas Papanikolaou Drawing Trade Interest?
Greece's Olympiacos has won its second straight Euroleague title, and at least one of the club's players seems to be drawing trade interest from NBA teams. Rigas Dardalis of EuroHoops.net writes that Kostas Papanikolaou, who received the Euroleague's Rising Star award, has received interest from the Spurs, Mavericks, and Knicks, among other teams.
Papanikolaou was selected by the Knicks 48th overall in the second round of the 2012 draft, but was sent to the Trail Blazers in the deal that brought Raymond Felton to New York. Although Portland currently holds Papanikolaou's rights, the small forward doesn't seem to be in the team's immediate plans, given the presence of Nicolas Batum and Victor Claver on the roster, according to Dardalis.
The Blazers are expected to be involved in free agency this summer as the team looks to upgrade its bench, but with plenty of cap space and four draft picks, Portland should also have plenty of worthwhile assets at its disposal in addition to Papanikolaou's rights, if the club decides to explore the trade market.
Coaching Rumors: Hawks, Van Gundy, Pistons
Here's a look at the latest coaching notes from around the Association..
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press adds Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks to the list of candidates drawing interest from the Pistons (Twitter link).
- Snyder might not be a candidate in Atlanta, but the Bobcats are expected to interview him, just as they did during their coaching search last year, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Earlier updates:
- Word that the Hawks are going hard after Stan Van Gundy has been overstated, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (via Twitter), though they will talk to him. Incumbent Larry Drew remains a candidate for the position but Quin Snyder is not currently in the mix (Twitter links).
- The Pistons will interview Knicks assistant coach Darrell Walker, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. That brings Detroit's list to five candidates as they have already interviewed Nate McMillan, Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter, Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, and Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Bynum, Prigioni, Celtics
After taking a look at the offseason challenges that the Nets will face earlier today, here's more out of the Atlantic..
- If the Sixers and new GM Sam Hinkie don't retain Andrew Bynum, look for the Rockets rumors to heat up quickly, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. If healthy and teamed up with James Harden and Chandler Parsons, Houston would have a formidable offensive lineup.
- Steve Serby of the New York Post sat down with Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni for a Q&A. When asked if he wants to return to New York next year, the Argentinean said that he is focusing on winning at the moment and will tackle that after the season.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge says the Raptors have asked for permission to speak with assistant coach Tyronn Lue for a position on Dwane Casey's staff, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com is turning in his report card on the Celtics' 2012/13 roster. Today, he evaluates the play of mid-season pickup Shavlik Randolph.
Eastern Notes: Prigioni, Nets, Bobcats, Redick
After spending 17 years playing professional basketball in Europe, Pablo Prigioni has enjoyed his first taste of the NBA this season with the Knicks. Prigioni will be a free agent at season's end, but George Bass, who represents Prigioni, tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that his client is interested in re-signing with the Knicks.
"Pablo really enjoyed himself here, and he has interest in playing again next year," Bass said. "He's fallen in love with New York, there's no doubt. The Knicks are just a first-class organization, so it's been good all the way around."
Here are a few more updates from around the Eastern Conference:
- With Bojan Bogdanovic expected to sign with the Nets this summer, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines what ramifications such a move would have for Brooklyn.
- There's no timetable for the Bobcats' coaching search, which figures to be lengthy and include plenty of candidates, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before he makes a decision in free agency in July, J.J. Redick plans to consult with Mike Krzyzewski, his former coach at Duke, as Andrew Gruman of FOX Sports Wisconsin writes.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com identifies a few possible offseason targets for the Celtics.
- Over at Bulls.com, Sam Smith's latest mailbag focuses primarily on the current Bulls/Heat series, but also looks ahead to the summer. Asked about Nate Robinson's value on the open market, Smith predicts Robinson will be looking at an annual salary in the $3MM neighborhood.
Odds & Ends: Curry, Wolves, Ayon, Nash, Raptors
After Stephen Curry delivered the most electrifying one man performance of the 2013 playoffs, Timberwolves fans have been reminded of David Kahn's decision in the 2009 draft to take Jonny Flynn with the sixth overall pick instead of Curry. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) was reminded today of Kahn's reasoning: the GM was in his first year and got scared by Curry cancelling his workout in Minnesota. At the same time, he fell in love with the Syracuse standout. Here's more from around the Association..
- Bucks forward Gustavo Ayon expects his team option to be exercised and is looking forward to returning, despite speculation surrounding his future in the NBA, agent Emilio Duran told RealGM's Shams Charania. Ayon saw limited playing time in Milwaukee and the club holds a $1.5MM option on him for next year.
- With Lakers guard Steve Nash is on the books for 2014, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles (on Twitter) suggests that GM Mitch Kupchak should call the Raptors and gauge their interest in the Canadian. Nash is owed $9.3MM next season and $9.7MM in 2014/15.
- Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy opined that the Hawks were unwise to let coach Mike Woodson go in 2010, writes Neil Best of Newsday.
Central Notes: Bucks, Jennings, Pistons, Bulls
After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, the Bucks gave their exit interviews with reporters. Milwaukee could look extremely different next season with several impact players bound for the open market and coach Jim Boylan reportedly on the hot seat. Here's more on the Bucks and other news out of the Central Division..
- As Brandon Jennings gets ready to start fielding offer sheets from clubs this summer, he says that he'll leave the process up to agent Jeff Schwartz, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Jennings has been unsatisfied with the Bucks in the past but he recently expressed some fondness for the club in an interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
- In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Knicks assistant Darrell Walker would be a good fit for the vacant Pistons job. Aldridge writes that the 52-year-old is a no-nonsense coach who's not afraid to challenge players when they give less than their best. Detroit is looking for a new head coach after letting Lawrence Frank go earlier this month.
- The Milwaukee Association of Commerce recently met to discuss the idea of building a new arena for the Bucks and the ramifications of possibly losing their NBA franchise down the line, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. The city may also renovate the BMO Harris Bradley Center which was opened in 1988.
- While speaking about Jason Collins' decision to come out of the closet, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the club met with him while he was a free agent last summer, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The spot that would have gone to Collins eventually went to Nazr Mohammed.
Odds & Ends: J.R. Smith, Celtics, Davis, Jack
J.R. Smith is likely to opt out of his deal for next season with the Knicks, and once he does, he'll be looking for a long-term deal, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. While Smith's comments suggest he'd favor the Knicks over other teams, New York can't do any better than a four-year deal worth about $25MM, since they only have his Early Bird rights. As our Ryan Raroque surmised when he looked at Smith's free agent stock, the Sixth Man of the Year will be able to command a hefty raise on his $2.8MM salary this season. We'll soon find out whether the Knicks' best offer will be enough.
Washburn has more on the NBA as part of his weekly column, and we'll round that up along with other Sunday afternoon tidbits here:
- Washburn gets former NBA executive Tom Penn's take on the future of the Celtics, and hears from Glen Davis of the Magic, who says he's willing to stick it out through the team's rebuilding process.
- Jarrett Jack is adamant that he'll prioritize a return to the Warriors in free agency this summer, even if it means passing up the opportunity to become a starter elsewhere, as he tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Bucks center Joel Przybilla saw a total of just 68 minutes this season, but he says he's healthy and believes he can still play in the NBA next season, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Shooting guard Trey Johnson and Italian club Angelico Biella have parted ways, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports (Twitter link). Johnson appeared in 11 games with the Pelicans in 2011/12, and has also spent time with the Cavaliers, Raptors and Lakers.
- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress already had Giannis Adetokunbo on his list of early entrants for the draft, as did we, and agent Giorgos Dimitropoulos confirms the Greek swingman has officially declared, Givony tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Martin, Knicks, Celtics, Sixers
The Nets-Bulls series was panned as one of the less exciting first round matchups this year through the first three games, but that all changed with a triple overtime thriller in game four. After a grueling back-and-forth that saw Nate Robinson and Joe Johnson come up in the clutch for their teams, the Bulls ultimately wound up on top with a 142-134 victory. Here's a look at the latest out of the Atlantic as the Nets are now charged with winning three straight to extend their season..
- Knicks forward Kenyon Martin told Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com last month that he was "real close" to signing with the Celtics earlier this season. He characterized the negotiations differently this week when he spoke to reporters, including Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. "I didn't come close at all," he said. "They didn't offer me anything, so it wasn't close. I didn't talk to them per se; my agent did. It didn't happen, so it doesn't matter at this point."
- As they appear to be on the verge of getting swept by the Knicks, this is likely the end of the Celtics as we know them, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Deveney also suggests that Danny Ainge should have been more open to welcoming either Chris Andersen or Kenyon Martin to the Celtics’ fold when both were free agents to enhance their frontcourt depth.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media could see the Sixers' coaching search coming down to Mike Malone and Sixers associate head coach Michael Curry. Philly hopes to land a solid prospect with their No. 11 pick as well and Moore believes that Victor Oladipo would be a strong choice if he falls that far.
Odds & Ends: Dwight, Expansion, Thunder
The storyline on the Lakers tonight is their makeshift starting backcourt of Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock, but as soon as their season ends, the attention will no doubt shift back to marquee names, and Dwight Howard in particular. HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, with an assist from colleague Eric Pincus, breaks down the numbers to show that Howard would make more money in the first four years of a contract with the Rockets than he would in as many seasons with the Lakers, thanks to differing tax rates. Still, L.A.'s ability to offer a fifth season, enhanced endorsement opportunities and the cachet of the purple and gold provide varying levels of motivation for Howard to re-sign with the Lakers.
As we wait for yet another Dwight decision, there's plenty of news from around the league:
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com suggests David Stern's stance on expansion may be softening somewhat (Sulia link). Stern had been adamant that the league won't try to solve the Kings dilemma by adding a team, though Spurs owner Peter Holt, chairman of the Board of Governors, said the issue isn't off the table.
- In an Insider piece, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com argues the Thunder shouldn't regret the James Harden trade in the wake of Russell Westbrook's injury as much as the deadline move that sent Eric Maynor away.
- A team executive who saw Greek swingman Giannis Adetokunbo practice tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News that while he's a project who probably won't see significant playing time for two or three years, he's still worth a first-round pick (All Twitter links).
- Martell Webster is open to coming off the bench if he re-signs with the Wizards, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Wizards and Webster, whom I tabbed one of the season's best mid-level exception signees, appear to have mutual interest in a return.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv wonders what would have happened if Kenyon Martin were on the other team in the Knicks–Celtics series. Martin was close to a deal with Boston earlier this season.
Odds & Ends: NBPA, James, Datome, Love
- Knicks guard Jason Kidd credits Kenyon Martin for "saving our season," writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. It is difficult to imagine where New York would have been without Martin's contributions, especially as the team has dealt with plenty of injuries in their frontcourt.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the top ten legacies that are on the line during the NBA playoffs.
- Jon Humbert of KOMO tweets that the Longshore Union filed an appeal over the land use challenge for the Seattle arena. Last month, a report from The Seattle Times (via the Associated press) said that the Longshoremen have been in staunch opposition of an arena being built near the Seattle waterfront, due to the congestion of the area that would be caused by athletic events.
- Mike James proved to be a viable pickup for the Mavericks this season, averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.2 APG while helping the team finish 15-8 over their final 23 games. Although James said recently that he'd like to play two more seasons with the Mavs, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas discusses why the Amityville product doesn't figure to be in the team's long-term plans.
- Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is expected to travel to Rome next week to scout Gigi Datome, according to Sportando.net (hat tip to Il Corriere dello Sport).
- Following up on a hypothetical trade proposed by Grantland's Bill
Simmons, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines the possibility of
the Bulls trying to trade for Kevin Love, exploring whether a package of
Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikola Mirotic, and
Charlotte's first-round pick would be more than Chicago would be willing
to give up. - Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at the evolution of Paul George into an All-Star and a leader in the Pacers locker room.